'Loud sounds, sleepless kids': UAE expats say Iran attack terrified loved ones in Qatar
For Qatari expat Mariam, the news was unsettling and worrying and she rushed to call her aunt. 'She told me that everything is fine and there's nothing to worry about,' she said. 'But I know she's trying to reassure me and doesn't want me to panic. Right now, I'm living in a state of stress and anticipation. My entire family is in Qatar, and I'm scared they aren't telling me the full truth just to protect me.'
Mariam, who was scheduled to fly to Qatar this weekend, said she would take work from home tomorrow as she felt too uneasy to go into work.
Iran attacked the Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar on Monday in retaliation for the US bombing of three nuclear sites in Iran.
UAE condemned the move in the strongest terms, saying it was a flagrant violation of Qatar's sovereignty and airspace, and a clear contravention of international law and the United Nations Charter.
Meanwhile, Dubai resident Sahar T. received videos at 8.48pm from her cousin in Doha showing what looked like missiles flying across Qatar's skies. In the family group chat, her cousin Waleed, who has lived in Qatar his whole life, said, 'This is now. I've never seen anything like this.'
Sahar said she was stressed and worried. Just an hour earlier, she had been reassuring a friend after hearing about the closure of Qatari airspace, saying it was likely just a precaution and that nothing would ever happen there.
Springs resident Parul Randhawa, who formerly lived in Qatar for 15 years, said, 'I have spoken to about seven to eight families. We have a big group of friends there since I've lived in Qatar for a decade and a half. Some of my friends are scared and worried, others are not. They were asked to take precautions. But thankfully, nothing is really happening in the city of Doha currently.'
She added, 'As per the WhatsApp chats, some people said they heard loud blasts, others confirmed it too. Residents of Doha have been messaging each other to stay near the entrance. It seems like the blasts happened at the Al Udeid Air Base. People have been saying that the US already emptied the base two days ago, but we're not sure about that. However, it's good to know that our friends and civilians in general are safe, though understandably, most people are reasonably concerned.'
Another UAE resident said that she reached out to a friend in Qatar. 'She said that she felt her glass shake and heard loud sounds,' she said. 'It was a scary experience for her and her children were very frightened. Her youngest child refused to let go of her or to sleep because she was terrified.'
A Dubai resident, Waqar, tried to reach out to her family in Qatar. When she finally heard back, her family said, 'You can't imagine how scary this is.'
Samar, a resident of Qatar for seven years, said, 'You know how small Qatar is, you can hear everything. The skies were lit up, and the sounds were very loud. Thank God it's all calm now.'
Qatari residents noted chaos in the supermarkets, with everyone rushing to get supplies. 'It's a weird situation we've never, ever witnessed before. We tried to reassure the children by saying it was just fireworks.'
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